Birthday Dinner Salad

17Sep

The Birthday Salad

It was birthday time at our house today and I usually ask the birthday person what they would like for a meal that evening. The requested meal this time, by my husband, was salad. I found all kinds of good stuff to put into a birthday dinner salad for him. In his words, this was really good!

On the counter I found a day-old cinnamon raisin bagel. I figured no one was going to eat it for breakfast, and rather than throw it out later this week I decided to make a little crostini to go with the salad. Slice the bagel into thin pieces and lay them on a baking sheet. One bagel made about 27 pieces. Melt about 2 Tbsp. of butter (yes, butter) and brush a small amount on each slice. Top it with a slight sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and then broil for 3-4 minutes till golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, turn the slices over, and repeat the procedure on the other side. Broil about a minute till golden brown. Watch closely to prevent burning.

Crostini made from a day old cinnamon raison bagel

In the freezer I found some salmon – not enough for a main dish by itself, but I thought it would make a lovely addition to our salad tonight. So out it came. After it defrosted I sprinkled on a little dill weed, sea salt, and fresh lime juice.

Salmon waiting to be cooked

For the salad, use a variety of lettuce and spinach, about 1 c. of golden grape tomatoes – halved.

Lettuce and tomatoes

One purple carrot from the garden – cut in small pieces

Purple carrot. Isn’t it pretty?

And 1 cucumber – peeled, halved and sliced.

Now with carrots and cucumbers

If you have red peppers you can try grilling them. Peel, slice, and add them to the salad for a little more interest.

Peppers on the grill

To cook the salmon, wrap it loosely in foil and grill for 5-7 minutes or till done.

Lifted the foil a bit to check the salmon

To finish the salad, core and dice one apple, drizzling the pieces with lemon juice to prevent browning and add to the salad. Top it with 2-3 Tbsp. of feta cheese and salmon pieces, drizzling some fresh lime juice on top.

Almost done!

Serve with the cinnamon raisin crostini. For dressing I let everyone choose their own. My favorite, however, was a simple raspberry balsamic vinegar. This made a tasty, healthy salad the whole family liked. Hope you enjoy it as much as they did!

The Birthday Salad

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Hi Cindra – thanks for visiting! The purple carrots we grew in our garden this year. I purchased a packet of heirloom carrot seeds that had seeds of purple, yellow, orange, and I think white in them. They were the best carrots!